Hi, I’m Sukhen, and I camp for a living (sort of).
A camper, hiker, and campfire-cook from the hill country of Rangamati, Bangladesh. I write everything you read on this site myself, from real trails, real campsites, and a lot of trial and error.
From the hills of Rangamati to a notebook full of campfire recipes.
I was born and raised in the Rangamati district of Bangladesh, a hill-surrounded region that pulls thousands of tourists in every year. I live in a small part of this district called Kaptai, sometimes called the Beauty of Queen “Kaptai Lake”. It is as quiet and green as it sounds, and most days I can walk out my door and be near water or trees within a few minutes.
I am a graduate, but I am not in a traditional job anymore. I’m already 43 years old. These days I freelance and write on this blog whenever I have the time. The reason I write about the outdoors is simple: I love it. I have loved it since 2010, and I especially love cooking over a campfire.
I started Outdoor Awaits to give back to the outdoor community that has given so much to me. My goal is to share accurate, useful information, especially for people just starting out. And ofcourse share my thoughts!
I do not buy outdoor gear just to write review articles. I write about the gear I already own and use, and for items I do not have, I research carefully and talk to other experienced campers in my circle before publishing anything.
A short timeline of how Outdoor Awaits came together.
Started camping and trekking around Rangamati and the wider Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Got serious about cooking over open fire. Started taking my own cooking kit on every trip.
Bandarban opened up: Nafakhum, Remakri, Keokradong, and a few peaks above the clouds.
Launched this blog to give back. First posts were on tents, fire cooking, and trail safety.
A growing library on camping, hiking, gear, and travel, all written from real trips.
Six things I write about, all from actual trips.
Outdoor Awaits is organized into six core areas. Each one comes out of a question I have asked on the trail or at camp myself, so you can think of every article here as a note I once needed.
Camping
Tents, sites, sleep systems, and the small things nobody tells you before your first night out.
Read →Camp Cooking
My favorite part. Open-fire meals, foil packets, dutch oven bread, and how to keep food from burning.
Read →Hiking
Pace, packing, gear, and what to do when the trail vanishes in dense forest. Beginner to multi-day.
Read →Safety Skills
First aid on the trail, snake encounters, getting lost, hypothermia, and signals for help.
Read →Travel Planning
Costs, seasons, packing lists, visas, and the boring paperwork that saves a trip.
Read →Gear
What I use, what I have tested, and honest takes on the gear I would actually pack again.
Read →The flavor of a campfire is the part I cannot stop chasing.
There are dozens of stoves in the world, and I have used my share. But nothing comes close to the taste of food cooked over an open flame.
It is also a quiet thing. The city has its own pace, but a fire by a river has yours. For me, camping is not a sport, it is a retreat. I learned how to start a fire in wet conditions the hard way, and now I write about it so you do not have to.
If you are new to this, my best starting point is the post on regulating heat on a campfire. Once that clicks, everything else, from dutch oven bread to rice that does not scorch, gets a lot easier.
The gear I actually pack, not the gear I was sent.
I am a regular camper. I buy gear I can afford that meets a reasonable quality bar, and I keep it for years. Here is a snapshot of what tends to come with me on solo and small-group camping trips.
2-Person Dome Tent
Light enough for solo nights, large enough for a friend plus gear.
Portable Cooking Kit
A simple set of pots, a pan, and a few utensils. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done.
Portable Gas Canister
Small, light, and very handy when dry wood is missing or I just need to boil water fast.
Sleeping Bag + Pad
I treat sleep as gear, not as luxury. My notes on cold-weather bags come straight from this kit.
Bandarban most of all, and a few borders beyond.
Within Bangladesh, Bandarban is my favorite district by a wide margin. Outside, I have traveled in a few neighboring countries within a modest budget. Nothing extravagant, but enough to know how different a forest sounds when you cross a border.
A short clip from my cooking with a friend at camp.
Sometimes a photo cannot show what a fire and a friend together look like. Here is a quick one from a recent trip.
More trip videos live on the Outdoor Awaits YouTube channel.
A few moments from the trail.
No travel-magazine photos here, just snapshots from real trips. A few moments I wanted to remember and share. You can see more on the full gallery page, where I keep adding photos from new trips.
Trust comes from showing the work, not claiming it.
Outdoor Awaits is built on six small but firm commitments. They are how I keep the blog useful and honest.
I write from real trips
Every camping, cooking, hiking, and travel post starts from something I have actually done.
I am honest about gear
When I write about gear I own, I say so. When I write about gear I do not own, I say that too.
I cross-check with experienced campers
For anything I am not 100% sure of, I check with other campers I trust before publishing.
I cite authority sources for safety
Where it matters, like first aid or weather, I link to recognized authorities, not random blogs.
I correct things openly
If I get something wrong, I fix it and note the correction. Trust is built one update at a time.
I disclose every affiliate link
Some links earn a small commission. That is disclosed clearly on the site and never changes what I recommend.
How an article gets made on this blog.
Every post on Outdoor Awaits goes through the same six small steps. Nothing fancy, but it keeps the writing honest.
Live the experience
A camping or hiking trip happens first. No article comes out of a desk.
Take notes and photos
I write down what worked, what failed, what I would change, and what I would never repeat.
Research what I do not know
For specs, regulations, or unfamiliar gear, I cross-reference manufacturer info and trusted sources.
Talk to other campers
For anything I am uncertain about, I check with experienced friends in the outdoor community.
Write in plain words
No marketing language. I write like I would explain it at camp, to a new friend who just arrived.
Update as I learn
Articles are not final. When my view changes, the post changes too, with a note about what was updated.
Have a question? Get in touch.
Whether it is a question about a campsite, a gear pick, or just a story you want to share, my inbox is open. I read every message myself.
